Telephone-switchboard annunciator



(No Model.)

F. R. McBERTY. TELEPHONE SWITGHBOARD ANNUNGIATOE. No. 498,808. PatentedJune 6, 1893.

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Tm: Noam; PEYERS 60., movalimou WASHINGTON. n. cy

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK R. MOBERTY, OF DOWNERS GROVE, ASSIGNOR TO THE WESTERN ELECTRICCOMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TELEPIEIPONE-SWITCHBOARD ANNUNCIATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 498,808, dated June 6,1893. Application filed October 29, 1892. $erial No. 450,374. (Nomodel.)

an in drawin s formin a art of this b D 7 b specification.

My invention relates to annunoiators for.

switchboards of telephone exchanges, more particularly to that class ofannunciators which are arranged to beautomatically restored bytheoperation of establishingconnection with the line circuit.

The object of my invention is to provide an annunoiator of the classmentioned so con structed as to be readily removable from its place inthe switchboard for purposes of ad justment or repair. v

In switchboards of telephone exchanges an individual annunciator isusually provided for each line of the exchange, the differentannunciators being divided into groups of suitable number, one groupbeing placed under the care of a single attending operator at aswitchboard. Each group of annunciators is placed in a certain spaceprovided for it in the face of the switchboard. The members of the groupare mounted upon strips of metal of suitable length, each stripordinarily carrying fifteen or more annunciators. The separate stripsare arranged horizontally, one above another in a panel, and in order toeconomize the valuable space on the face of the switchboard theannunciators are made as small as practicable and are placed quiteclosely together. It will thus be seen that a panel of annunciatorscomprises a large number arranged very closely together, the front ofthe annunciators projecting outwardly to ward the operator and therearprojecting toward the rear of the switchboard.

The self-restoring or automatically restoring annunciator ordinarily inuse consists of two separate electro-magnets mounted upon opposite sidesof a common supporting plate, whereby the front coil or restoring coilof the annunoiator appears upon the front of the switchboard and therear coil is accessible only from the rear of the switchboard.

It not infrequently occurs that repairs or adjustments of a particularannunciator become necessary, in order to effect which it is desirableto remove the particular annunciator without disturbing the remainder ofthe strip or of the panel; or the front or rear portion of a singleannunciator may become disarranged and may require removalindependentlyof the remainder of the annunciator.

It is the object of my invention to so construct these self-restoringannunciators that the front or rear portion of any annunciator may beremoved from. the panel or strip from the front or rear of theswitchboard, as the case may be, without disturbing the remainportionsof the particular annunciator, the work at the same time beingaccomplished with'rapidity and facility to avoid interruption of theservice.

My invention consists in certain details of construction and arrangementwhich will be hereinafter described and will be indicated particularlyin the claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a plan of my improved self-restoring annunciator. Fig. 2 isa side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a view of the same from below. Fig.at is a longitudinal central sectional View taken vertically. Fig. 5 isa rear elevation of the annunciator. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of thesame. Fig. '7 is a transverse section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 3. Fig. 8is a view of the supporting plate of the front or restoringelectro-magnet of the annunciator. Fig. 9 is a View of the equivalentsupporting plate of the rear electro-magnet. Fig. 10 shows a plan of oneof the rheophores or circuit connections. Fig. 11 is a side elevationthereof. Fig. 12 is a sectional view of the portion of the shell of therear electromagnet on the line 12l2 of Fig. 3.

I will indicate parts of the various figures by letters of reference,like parts being desig nated by similar letters.

The annunciator comprises essentially a tubular electro-magnet aprovided with'a pivoted armature 12 carrying an arm 0 which norder ofthe drops in the panel or the remaining mally engages with and retains aheavy pivoted shutter 01 of magnetic material adapted to fall outwardlyto a slight distance when disengaged from the said arm, and anelectroinagnet 6 adapted to act upon the shutter d and to bring it againinto engagement with the arm 0 when energized. A light shield orapronfis pivoted at its upper edge and is suspended in front of theshutter d so that the latter will strike it and bring it into ahorizontal position when released by the catch-arm.

The tubular magnet a is mounted upon a thin plate a',shown in elevationin Fig. 9,being secured thereto by a screw a passing through the shell aof the elcctro-magnet a and into the core 05 thereof. The plate a isprovided wlth lugs a by means of which it is secured by screws a to thesupporting plate or strip g which is common to a considerable number ofannunciators. The shell a carries at its rear portion a small bracket 1)supporting trunnions 17 upon which the armature b is journaled.

The restoring magnet e is another tubular magnet having a shell (2 and acore 6 and is secured to a plate 6 shown in Fig. 8, by a screw e passingthrough the shell and into the core 6 of the magnet. The plate 6 isprovided with lugs 6 whereby it also may be secured to the commonsupporting plate g of the strip. The plate carries also two small lugs 6having perforated bushings e secured therein. The shell e likewisecarries a bracket 02' upon the under side of which are providedtrunnions d upon which the heavy shutter d is journaled. At its upperportions it is furnished with projections d upon a wire f through theseprojections the shield f is hung. A light spring h is secured by a screwh upon the under side of the shell of the magnet c, said springprojecting forward beneath the shutter d in such relation thereto thatwhen the shutter d falls outwardly it presses the free extremity of thespring h downward. A rigid plate 71 is provided also secured by screwhf, parallel with the spring h and having a contact piece opposite theextremity thereof, so that when the spring h is depressed, as described,it is brought into contact with the contact anvil upon the spring 71.thereby electrically connecting the two. Normally the springs areinsulated from each other by a plate 72- of insulating material and bysuitable bushings around the screw h at the point at which it passesthrough the rigid plate ]L2.

The rods it" provide means for establishing connection with the coil ofmagnet e from the rear of the switchboard. The terminals of the coil ofmagnet care led through perforations in the bushings 7c screwed into theshell 6' of magnet e. The form of bushing is best shown in Figs. 10 and11. It is constructed with a threaded portion adapted to screw into theperforation of the shell e of the magnet, above which is a flange 7.2the bushing at the other side of the flange being cylindrical andprojecting to a slight distance beyond the face of the flange. A metalpiece is formed as shown in Figs. 10 and 11. It is provided with acentral perforation adapted to fit over the portion of the bushing infront of the flange and is furnished with two projecting lugs, to one ofwhich, Z, the terminal of the coil is soldered, and to the other ofwhich l, the extremity of the rod 1 is secured by soldering.

The rods i extend rearward from the plates Z through the perforatedbushings c in plate 6 openings g being provided in the supporting plateg to admit of their free passage, as shown in partial section in Fig.11. In assembling this portion of my invention, the bushings It arefirst screwed'into the shell e of the magnet e, the magnet 6 beingalready mounted upon the plate 6 The plates Z are then placed in properposition over the bushings k, and finally the rods 1' are insertedthrough the perforations in the bushings 6 in plate e and are solderedto the plates at Z. It will be noticed that bythis device the rods t'are now prevented both from longitudinal and rotary movement, wherebythe breaking of the connections therewith by twisting of the wires atthe rear of the switchboard is avoided. The rods t' then pass to therear of the drop, being supported at their rear extremities by studs mof peculiar construction, best shown in Fig. 12. The stud m is ofinsulating material and is a cylinder having one extremity threaded toscrew into the shell a of magnet a. A transverse perforation is providedin the stud and a narrow slot m is cut from the perforation to the outerextremity of the stud, as shown in Fig. 12. The rod 41 passes throughthis perforation in the studm and is supported in position thereby. Therod is flattened fora portion of its length, or thickened to prevent itsslipping out through the slot m described. The object of this featuremay be described as follows: The connecting wires to the magnet e aresoldered to the rear extremities of the rods 1'. If now it is desired toremove the rear portion of the annunciator without disturbing theforward portion the wires leading to the rods t' are bent down at rightangles to the flat face of the rod, as shown at n of Fig. 4, when themagnet a, may be released at its forward end and slipped oflfrearwardly, the wires n soldered on the rodst' passing through the slotsin the stud m as the magnet is withdrawn. Thus the rear portion of theannunciator may be removed without disturbing the connection with thefront portions.

In practice, one of the connections to the coil 6 is made through abattery to earth and this same battery serves as a source of current inthe night bell circuit which includes the normally open contact pointsIt and 71/2. I therefore secure one of the plates Z directly to therigid contact h of the night bell springs, as shown in Fig. 3.

It will thus be seen that when the annunciators are mounted as describedupon a common plate g and are in position in the switchboard, the rearportion of any single annunciator may be removed by simply removing thetwo screws a in Fig. 5, and withdrawing the rear portion of theannunciator. front portion of the annunciator may be removed from theswitchboard by withdrawing the two screws a seen in Fig. 7.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. In an individual annunciator the combination of anoperating coil, a supporting plate secured thereto, a restoring coil andanothersupporting plate secured thereto, and a common supporting plate,the dilferentannunciator magnets being supported on opposite sidesthereof by means of their individual supporting plates, whereby eithermagnet is removable independently of the other, substantially asdescribed.

2. The combination with a common supporting plate, of electro magnetsremovably mounted upon opposite sides thereof, perforated insulatingsupporting studs having slots extending from the perforations to theoutside of the stud, and rigid rods secured to one Similarly, the

of said electro-magnets and formingt-he terminal connection thereof,said rods projecting through the perforations in the studs in the othermagnet, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the restoring magneteof the night bell springsmounted thereon, adapted to be closed together by the armature thereof,metallic terminal pieces mounted on said magnet 6, one of said metallictermi nal pieces being connected with one spring of said night bellsprings, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a common supporting plate, of two individualsupporting plates mounted upon opposite sides thereof and each carryingan electro-magnet rigidly secured to it, each magnet being with anarmature at its outward or free extremity, a catch-arm carried by one ofsaid armatures and normally engaging with the other to retain it inposition, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 28th day of July,A. D. 1892.

I FRANK R. MCBERTY.

